GB2024735A

GB2024735A - Mobile container

Info

Publication number: GB2024735A
Application number: GB7920669A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Wavin BV
Current assignee: Wavin BV
Priority date: 1978-06-16
Filing date: 1979-06-14
Publication date: 1980-01-16
Also published as: FR2428422A1; DE2924105A1; SE7905223L; NL7806543A

Abstract

The container walls are made of plastics material and comprise a rear- wall 1 with two flanges 2 connected to and continuing into the side walls 3. The flanges 2 and the rear-wall 1 are integral with a connecting strip 14 increasing the stiffness of the container. The container may be provided with a swinging front door 11. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Roll-in-container The invention relates to a roll-in-container comprising a bottom with at least two wheels and at least two erected walls and a rear connecting part being connected with said two erected side-walls.

These roll-in-containers are known in the art and are mostly made of metal, preferably of rod-, tubeor wire-constructions for the erected side walls.

Generally they comprise a small base and high erected side walls for conveying a large number of small packages from, for instance, a supply-line to a sales-outlet where the container remains till it is empty. The roll-in-container should, therefore, be light and easily movable, but on the other hand, it should be capable of carrying a large number of packages which are stacked in an orderly way and can easily be removed from it by buyers. This limits the width and the depth of the roll-in-container to relatively small dimensions, namely to a width of about 45 cm and a depth of about 65 cm, while the height may be about 120 cm.

These known roll-in-containers present the disadvantage that it is difficult to give them sufficient rigidity as only the angular ribs of the erected side walls are connected with a rear connecting part. This disadvantage is particularly important when it is desired to construct such a roll-in-container of plastic material. Another disadvantage is that the assembly of such a roll-in-container is rather labourintensive, while the manipulation thereof is rather noisy, especially after they have been used for some time and the joints show signs of wear.

It is the object of the invention to provide a roll-in-container which does not possess these disadvantages and of which the main parts are made of plastic material, more particularly foamplastic. In this manner, not only the weight is reduced, but also an attractive presentation without protruding parts is obtained. Such protruding parts may damage the often expensive contents of the wires or rods of other containers or clothes of those who wish to place the packages into or remove them from the container may be caught by the protruding parts.

It is another object of the invention to provide a more rigid roll-in-container of which the parts required for making up that roll-in-container may be manufactured in a simple manner.

According to the invention, this object is obtained in that a rear-wall consists of an erected U-section of plastic with flanges extending over some distances in the plane of the side-walls and which, on the other side, are connected with a bottom plate, the erected plastic side walls being connected with the flanges and at their lower edge with the bottom plate, and at least one connecting strip is provided which connects the flanges in their upper portion at distance from the rear-wall.

By applying such a connecting strip a very rigid construction is obtained as the flanges of the U section of plastic are not only fixed on their lower side by their connection with a bottom plate, but, moreover, sagging of the plastic flanges at the top may be prevented, completely by said connecting strip.

Such a connecting strip may, moreover, be easily formed during the manufacture of the plastic Usection with flanges.

Advantageously the connecting strip is a plane extending on the top from the rear wall of the roll-in-container and on at least part of the flanges.

Very efficiently the connecting strip is a plane which is integral with the flanges and the rear-wall and which extends up to the end-edge of the flanges where these are connected with the side-walls.

Particularly the latter construction provides a very high rigidity while on the other hand the manufacture of such a plastic U-section with flanges, which flanges are interconnected attheirtop by a plane which is integral with the U-section, may be carried out very easily by means of very simple moulds.

In this roll-in-container the connection with the side-walls and the bottom is, moreover, strengthened by the use of the said U-section with strengthening strip which promotes the strength and the stability of the whole.

If the roll-in-container has to be locked, a swinging door may be hinged pivotally to the end-edge of a side-wall, which door finds a stop and lock on the end-edge of the other side-wall. If one or more horizontal partitions are composed of panels which are pivotally interconnected and are supported by guides in the side-walls, the first panel being attached to the flanges of the rear-wall and the partitions contributing in this manner to a stiffening of the body.

In the case of a swinging door, it may be a disadvantage that, in the case of a completely opened door adjacent to a side-wall, the door forms a projection as a result of which roll-in-containers with such opened swinging doors arranged next to each other take up more space than the roll-incontainers without such swinging doors.

It is the object of the invention to provide a solution for this problem in that the swinging door and the side-wall against which the swinging may rest in open position are shaped in such a way that the swinging door is taken up virtually in the said side-wall.

Preferably the wheel boxes for carrying the wheels of the roll-in-container are integral with the rear-wall.

In this manner, the rear-wall with its flanges and feet as well as a connecting plane located on the top may be made in a relatively simple mould, while the weight of plastic of this part is about equal to that of a side-wall and to that of the bottom so that these parts, which may also be made of plastic by means of simple moulds, may be manufactured in about the same time. This reduces the number of components to a minimum and the risks of disturbances in the manufacture of the parts by injection-moulding are also considerably reduced.

By applying injection-moulding of plastic all kinds of apertures may be easily formed in the walls, but when the roll-in-container has to possess insulating properties, it is possible to close the walls entirely with simple means. In that case it is advisable to provide the top of the roll-in-container with a cover which is supported by the side-walls.

The invention will now be explained with reference to an embodiment and to the drawing in which: Figure 7 shows schematically a roll-in-container according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a cross-section of a part of the bottom and a flange, and Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a wall with a swinging door of the roll-in-container in opened condition taken up therein.

In Figure 1 a roll-in-container is provided with a rear-wall 1 with two flanges 2 which run to about one third of the length or depth of the container and pass into the erected high side-walls 3 coupled with these flanges. In the lower edges of the rear wall 1 with the flanges 2, there are mounted two feet 4. For obtaining a rigid construction, the rear-wall of the roll-in-container with the flanges 2 are on their upper edges integral with a connecting strip formed as a connecting plane 14. This plane 14 is integral with the flanges 2 and the rear-wall 1. Such a construction is particularly time-saving in the manufacture of the roll-in-container as it requires a box-shaped construction, which, however, has no side-wall on one side, so that the whole part may be easily connected with the bottom.

In this manner a stable, clear construction of the most heavily charged angles is obtained. A bottomplate 5 rests on the feet 4, and the side-walls 3 are connected with the bottom-plate 5 through an edge 6. Under the feet 4, the edges 6 and the bottom-plate 5, there are arranged pairs of wheels 7 for making the container movable. The pairs of wheels 7 under the feet 4 are not pivotal and the wheel-boxes 8 are integral with the feet 4, so that they are integral with the rear-wall 1. Near the free end of the side-walls 3 under the edges 6 and the bottom plate 5 the pairs of wheels 7 are carried out pivotally.

The connection between the various parts is preferably obtained by means of carriage bolts or hollow rivets in such a way that they do not project, but the parts may also be welded or glued to each other.

The inner side of the flanges 2 and of the side-walls 3 are provided with guides which may support horizontal partition 10. This partition is formed as a grill with, for instance, three equal panels being pivotally connected with each other. In the region of the flanges 2 the first panel is fixed to the guides 9. The other two panels are shown in folded out condition but may be laid flat on the guides 9 and they then hook into projections 91 on the guides, so that in folded out position of the panels a stiff partition is formed which maintains the shape of the container even better.

The front edge of the last panel may then also act as a stop for the door 11 which is attached to the free end of a side-wall by means of hinges 12 and which may be attached to the free end of the other side-wall by means of bolts 13.

Only one horizontal partition has been shown, but dependent on the nature of the packages to be conveyed the roll-in-containers may, of course, also comprise a larger number of partitions.

Finally, at the upper angles of the side-walls 2 there is mounted a connecting bar 14a which, if desired, may serve as a drawing or pushing bar for the transport of the roll-in-container. In the embodiment as shown, all the walls and the door are provided with apertures arranged according to certain patterns in order to avoid that the packages drop out of the roll-in-container. The apertures serve not only for reducing the weight, but also for displaying the packages present in the container. Around the apertures and on the remaining wall-planes stiffening ribs may be arranged as generally known in the art.When foam-plastic is applied, these stiffening elements are preferably made of material which is closed on the surface and the core the material is provided with cells so that the roll-in-container is light as compared with similar containers of solid material. The closed surfaces greatly facilitate the tidying and cleaning of the roll-in-container. Moreover, plastic material produces much less noise.

In order to obtain a higher sturdiness, it is advisable, as shown in Figure 2, to provide the bottom with at least two erected edges 15, which, together with the projecting feet 16 of the flanges 2, co-operate thus forming a plane in which both the inside of the flanges and the inside of the erected edges are located. This gives a very solid construction, particularly if the bottom is made of metal with a U-shaped cross-section, as shown in the drawing.

In order to save space when the swinging door 11 is completely open, i.e. when in completely open position it is adjacent to the side-wall shown most to the right, it is recommended to carry out the side-wall 3 in such a way that the swinging door 11 can be entirely taken up as a result of an adequate profiling.

If the roll-in-container is used for the temporary storage and transport of cooled or heated consumption goods, it may be advantageous to construct the walls and the door as closed parts. This may be done by providing the mould for injection moulding with closures in the area of the normal apertures. It is also advisable to provide the roll-in-containerwith a solid cover so that a fully closed body is obtained which due to the insulating properties of the plastic, particularly foamplastic, may act as an inuslator.

Claims

1. A roll-in-container comprising a bottom with at least two wheels and at least two erected sidewalls and a connecting rear portion being connected with the two erected side-walls, wherein the rearwall consists of an erected U-section of plastic with flanges extending over some distance in the plane of the side-walls and which, on the other side, are connected with a bottom plate, the erected plastic side walls being connected with the flanges and at their lower edge with the bottom plate, and at least one connecting strip is provided which connects the flanges with each other in their upper portion at distance from the rear-wall.

2. A roll-in-container according to Claim 1, wherein the connecting strip is a plane on the top and extending from the rear-wall and on at least a part of the flanges.

3. A roll-in-container according to Claim 1 or2, wherein the connecting strip is a plane being integral with the flanges and with the rear-wall and extending towards the end-edge of the flanges where these are united with the side-walls.

4. A roll-in-container according to Claim 1-3, wherein the bottom is made of metal.

5. A roll-in-container according to Claim 1-3, wherein the bottom is made of plastic material.

6. A roll-in-container according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein the U-shaped bottom is provided with at least two erected edges engaging end-portions of the flanges of the plastic U-section extending above the free top of said erected edges.

7. A roll-in-container according to Claim 6, wherein the inner side of the flanges extend in one plane with the inner edge of the erected flanges of the U-shaped bottom.

8. A roll-in-container according to Claims 1 to 7, wherein the container is provided with a swinging door extending between the erected side-walls.

9. A roll-in-container according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the swinging door and the side-wall against which the swinging door in the open position may rest are profiled in such a way that the swinging door is practically taken up in the side wall.

10. A roll-in-container according to one or more of the claims 1 to 9, wherein non-swinging plastic wheel-boxes are integral with the feet.

11. A roll-in-container according to one or more of the claims 1 to 10, wherein the connection between the flanges and the side-walls is located at about one third of the distance between the angles of the U-section and the free end of the side-wall.

12. A roll-in-container according to one or more of the claims 1 to 11, wherein the inside of the flanges and the side-walls, guides are arranged for supporting a horizontal partition consisting of pivotally connected panels, one panel being connected with the flanges and the other panels in folded out position being coupled with the guides on the side-walls, the first panel being convertible.

13. A roll-in-container according to one or more of the claims 1 to 12, wherein the flanges are provided with feet being connected with the bottom plate.

14. A roll-in-container according to one or more of the claims 1 to 13, wherein at the free end of a side-wall a plastic door is hinged pivotally which join on the other side-wall.

15. A roll-in-container according to one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the front-edge of the last folded-out panel forms a stop for the door.

16. A roll-in-container according to one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the parts are made of a foam plastic, preferably with a closed surface.